Nauman, bowlers send Stallions to final

A 43-ball 80 from the opener Nauman Anwar, followed by three wickets apiece from Usama Mir and Bilal Asif helped Sialkot Stallions into the final of the Super8 T20 Cup with a 65-run victory against Karachi Dolphins in Faisalabad. Stallions, having been inserted, began brightly as Mukhtar Ahmed and Nauman Anwar shared a 74-run opening stand inside eight overs. Nauman was the more aggressive foil in the partnership and muscled nine fours and five sixes during his fifty, the first of his playing career. Stallions were strongly placed at 136 for 2, but Abdul Ameer (3 for 38) and Fawad Khan (2 for 39) instigated a middle and lower-order collapse, as the team's last eight wickets fell for just 31 runs, being bowled out for 167.

Dolphins, though, failed to get going in their chase, losing wickets right from the off. Only three players managed to reach double-digit scores, with the team's last six batsmen adding just 17 runs. Four of Stallions' bowlers went at under six an over, with Mir collecting 3 for 16 and Asif taking 3 for 20 to run through the line-up.